Dee Ryan: Greens allowing the Floating Offshore Wind opportunity for Limerick slip away

Mayoral election candidate Dee Ryan has hit out at Minister Eamon Ryan’s department for "blocking" the Floating Offshore Wind opportunity for Limerick and the Shannon Estuary and denying the county access to a transformative economic opportunity. This comes following the Environment Minister and Green Party leader’s comments this week at the Wind Energy Ireland conference, revealing his view that floating wind technology will take another 20 years 

Dee Ryan is the former Chief Executive of Limerick Chamber and a member of the Shannon Estuary Economic Taskforce that worked over 14 months consulting with international sector experts to produce a blueprint for Government on harvesting Atlantic wind energy off the Shannon Estuary.  

She said that Minister Ryan’s comments this week saying Ireland would wait 10 to 20 years for the technology to be ready first, effectively blocks the sector from taking seed in Limerick and is at odds with comments made at the launch of the Taskforce report in July 2023 when he could not have been more positive about floating wind.

 Speaking from her home in county Limerick she said Minister Ryan is blocking floating wind for the west coast as no action is being taken to allow the opportunity to get off the ground.

She said: “The Green’s are letting the floating offshore wind opportunity for Limerick slip away. Minister Ryan’s comments suggest that he is willing for Ireland to sit on our hands for decades regarding preparations for west coast floating wind. If this happens we will continue to fall behind other countries who are forging ahead in efforts to get blades in the air. Minister Ryan’s words of support last year at the launch of the Estuary Taskforce Report, now sound empty in light of his inaction.”

Continuing she said: "Everyone agrees that we have one of the largest renewable energy resources in the world off our shores, our Atlantic winds, which have the potential to contribute at scale to reducing global carbon emissions. However, Minister Ryan this week said he is disbelieving of industry ability to finalise technology to harness that resource in the coming decade and therefore he is unwilling to instruct his department to do the basic zoning exercise necessary that would allow wind energy companies commit their investment to the Estuary and put their money where their mouth is.”

Stressing that floating offshore wind offers a transformative economic opportunity for the whole of the west coast Dee Ryan said: "the Shannon Estuary Economic Taskforce heard from the international sector experts. The technology is advancing at pace. This is real, this is happening and other countries in Asia, and even neighbouring Scotland are stealing the march on us. We need to press go. Limerick must get moving on the huge work that has to be done developing our port facilities at Foynes and zoning the land around west Limerick for enough housing and industry. This has to happen now at the same time as the sector finalises the technology, otherwise we simply won’t be ready. However, none of these preparations can happen until Minister Ryan orders D-MAPs for the west coast to be completed by his department. That’s the marine area zoning which would allow companies to start the process of applying for licences for wind farms off the west coast and the signal needed by all to show Ireland is serious about supporting this new industry get established.

"As Mayor of Limerick, I pledge to use my mandate and my platform to take advantage of the enormous opportunity that floating offshore wind offers from west Limerick and the Shannon Estuary. 

"If elected Mayor, I will work with our universities to secure support from Government for the floating wind technology demonstrator and test bed in Limerick. I will work to make Limerick a world leader in this emerging sector and ensure Limerick is seen as world-class destination for the much-needed investment, innovation and jobs that will be long lasting and transformative for our region."

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